Crustacean-trap.



R. M. FR-ANKUN. CRUSTACEAN TRAP. APPLICATION HLED APR.25, 1914.

Patented July 13, 1915.

llllllllI-lllllllllll A1 knocked Bonner ivi. FRANKLIN, or GALvnsToN, TEXAS.

CRUSTACEAN-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1915.

Application filed April 25,1914. Serial No. 834,449.

T all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT M. FRANK- LIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Galveston, inzthe county of Galveston land State of Texas, yhave invented certain new and useful i Improvements in Crustacean-Traps; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledl in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in crustacean traps and an object of the invention is to provide a self-righting trap which may be secured to and operated either by a line having a number of other traps attached thereto, or singly on one hoisting line.

A further object of the invention is to provide a trap of this character which can be folded into a very compact space soas to take up as little room as possible when Athe trapping season Vis over, the folded trap nets being readily stacked.

A still further ob3ect ofthe invention is to provide a trap of this character' havingV loosely hinged body panels held in shape by the particular form of ends employed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide improved means for readily detaching the ends from the body of the trap.

Vith these and other objects inview, my invention consists of the arrangement and combination of parts as will be more fully pointed out in the specification and claims.

In the drawings wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts: Figure 1 is, a' perspective view of the trap; Fig. 2 is a top planview of the trap folded having the ends secured thereto before removal of the sa'me;4 Fig. 3 isann endview of the trap as seen in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary .end view showing a modified form of door for the pyramidal inlet; Fig. 5

u is a view showingthe form of pliable metalv hook used for connecting the sides, top and bottom of tlietrap; Fig. 6 is a detail view showingy one ofthe double U-shaped hooks used in associationwith the cords for holding the pyramidal inlets to the top `of the trap.

r1`he general aim of the present invention is to provide a trap having a body made up of panels loosely hinged together by means of ring hooks so that the trap may be down and folded into avery small space. The ends of the trap are formed preferably of truncated pyramids so that when the ends are drawn into the body by means of suitable cords and hooks, said truncated pyramidal ends will bind within the Vloosely hinged panels to hold the same tightly.

Referring particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that the trap body is made up of side panels 1 and 2, a bottom 3 and a top 4. As shown in the drawing, the sides and bottom are formed of a wire frame 5 and a filling of netting 6 of wire or some other suitablematerial which `will retain its shape. The top 4 as shown in the drawings comprises side bars 7 and 8 connected at the ends by end bars 9 and 10, there being provided slats or 'panel boards 11 and auxiliary stays or braces 12.

At suitable points along the side bars are openings 13 which receive the peculiar form of pliable ring yhook seen in Fig. 5. This hook may be made ofl a pieceof pliable wire ofsuitable length, doubled over in the middle to form the eye 14, and its arms pressed together' and bent to form a ring while the ends of. the wire are benty back upon themselves toform hooks 15. These hooks 15 are passed through theopenings 13 and extend around the adjacent portion 4of the rectangular frame 5 after which they areslippedy through the eye 14 and gripped in place by any 'suitable means so as to prevent acci-, vdental removal of the ring hook. -Th`e ad-` jacent long sides of the three frames 5 are also loosely connected by means of the ring hooks-seen in Fig. 5.. By means of this construction, it will be seen that the sides, top and bottom of the trap are loosely hinged together `so that the same may be folded to the 1,

yauxiliary, frames 18y a rigid structure. This structure is seen in end elevation in Fig. 3 and in top elevation in Fig. 2.y But in the construction of the rectangular sections and forms shown, and'I reservef the rightmto change the method of construction andthe kso materials used therein, provided, ofcourse, such changes conform to the spirit and purposes of the invention. 'Ihe lfour inclined sides of the inlet are provided with wire netting' 21-similar to the netting employed for forming the sides andbottom of the trap.

One edge of the pyramidal inlets 16 is loosely hinged to the adjacent end ofthe i bottom by means of metal clips 22, embrac.'

ing contiguous bars of the frames 5 and'17, the inclined portions of the inlet being withn in the-body. In order to secure the opposite preferably employ double U-shaped hooks as seen in Fig. 6. These hooks 26 have a common shank 23 from which bills 24 and 25 extend in opposite directions, thebill 24 being i closed into contact with the shank 23 while thebill 25 is spaced from the shank 23 so that its throat is slightly open. One

f of these hooks hasits bill-25 passing under the stay 12, While others have their bills 25 engaged over the end bars 9 and 10 and also beneath the upper side bar of the frame 17. f

In order that an edective means may beprovided for securing the inlet to the frame I provide a'cord 27 the ends ofwhich are knotted as at 28 for the purpose of preventingescapement of the endsfof thecord from thehooksw This cord is, led from. the i. Small Vend .24 of one of the hooks'26`car ried byA bar 1() through the .correspondingsmall end of v'another ofthe hooks 26carried` by an auxiliary bar 12 and through the simi- `lar smallend of another hook 26 oarr-iedzby said bar 10 back under the small end 241of theliook 26 carried by said auxiliary bar 10 and wrapped therearoundseveral times asy indicated at 29 for the purpose of securingA the cord against 'dislodgment In-this way,

it will be.y seen that the ends of the trap are held to its body, and `all parts will be bound together tightly taking vup all the :play ao'rded by the ring hooks illustrated in the trap are identical and adescription of one will suffice for the other.y

As shown in Fig. 1, I have pro-vided al gate for the entrance to the trap for lthe purpose of preventing exit from the trap, but` readily giving entrance thereto. The space kdefined between the wire sections 19 and the stays 20 forms the passage-way 30 through which the Urustacea'pass. rI`he gate 31 which formed; of a single wire, repeatedly doubled over on itself as follows: first, to forma loop 43 for hinging the gate on a wire, l40 secured across the inlet openingabout one downward within' say one to three inches f form each finger and intervening space until l y. loop opposite andv in line with thefirsthinge l loop. This gate `when thus formed, or in side of the inlets to the top of the trap I .I

gate thus constructed and hung will readily i crabs Vor average size lobsters I use aniodi- I fied form of this inlet opening, by leaving enoughspace to permit the crabs or lobsters to squeeze through, as shownin Fig. 2.

Y spines of the Oras'aoea'- and lthusrprevent Zi .is lighter than the sides and bottom the trap yof the trap may be used, but it is'preferable that the v'material be lighter than water.

wood isy used for thetop ofthe trap, it is I employ for closing the openingl 30 is y f will of course invite .the victims. When itis inch from its rupper edge; next carried f f 27 may have the end thereof untiedqfrom the point the wire is bent over vand carried `again"downward and then upward to formk the second inger, say half inch from the iirst finger; then the wire is carried above the crossy wireV 40 to form a stop 45 resting against the bar 19; and this isrepeated to g5 a suiicient'number of lingers are vprovided to; guard the entire inlet opening, when the wire is nally bent to forni the second hinge any manner which will secure a substantially similar structure, has stops above its lhinge loops bent about 25 degrees, so that the fingers may hang vertically while the upper part of the gate vrests against the outer face of the inlet. The gate thus formed is hung on the wire 40. It will be. noted that this open inward, and the open spacefbetween 1 i and below the ends of the ingers'will temptboth fish and rustacea to push underthe v yielding gate and enter, while the upper face of the inlet yand prevent the gateifrom For the gateofi' `and securing across the face of the inlet one `or more wires 34 with Vjust These wires serve to entangle the claws vandtheir exit. f .f Y

It will be understood that when the trap is 'to be used the same can be vlowered by means of a single line and inasmuch as the top ofthe trap is formed of material which will strike bottom yright side up. Ihile wood can be used for making the top, yet any other material which is lighter than the material forming thesides, bottom and ends When the trap has assumed the yposition shown in Fig. 1, the Uruszzcea approach the pyramidal inlets forming'the ends of the tra-pand finding the gateimovable, thrust their way inside to devour the bait contained in the trap.' It should be noted here that as necessarily more bulky and the wide slats or panels 11 will serve to shut out light from the top' of thev trap and` thereby give a cavernous appearance to the trap which desired to disassemblethe trap, the cord 

